JOHOR BARU: Bogged down by financial constraints, a cash-strapped 34-year-old single mother was convinced by a loan shark's advertisement on social media, thinking it was from a legitimate bank.

Cashier Tan Ai Chue said she saw an advertisement of a bank offering a personal loan on Facebook on Dec 9 and decided to click on it, not knowing that it was actually an advertisement placed by an ah long.